When YA and I go to the zoo, we normally follow a particular pattern of what we see in what order. I’m not sure why, it’s just a habit we’ve fallen into.
There’s been a lot going at the new zoo (Minnesota Zoo – it will always be the new zoo to me – unless a third zoo opens up in Twin Cities – then I’ll have to revise). There is the sea lion show which has been getting good reviews, new Bennett’s wallabies from Australia, a new Black Water Monitor, the new Red Panda / Crane exhibit, the summer Llama Trek AND the bird show has moved outside for the summer.
You can’t just show up at the zoo and get in these days – you have to get reservations ahead of time (this is a post-covid thing) and you also have to get reservations for the sea lions and the bird show. No charge for these. For the sea lion show if there are still seats at 5 minutes before the show, you can get in without the reservation. For the bird show, YA and I were there fairly early to get the seats we wanted and to settle in and drink the pop we had just bought – if they were asking folks to show their reservations, we didn’t see it.
SO… with all this going on, we had an agenda and as the day went on, we adjusted as needed. First Tropics. This took longer than usual because the tapir had just gotten out of its pool and decided to do zoomies:
I’ve hardly ever seen a tapir walking around much less running. Clearly nobody else had either, judging by the crowd it was drawing. Even the two zoo staff were filming!
We had time to do the Minnesota trail before we headed over to the sea lion show. YA got some good photos of the coyote and the mountain lion.
Sea lion show was great and so was Llama Trek. It was almost as if the llamas had all had a “Photo Op” seminar over the winter:
The tiger waterfall was turned on and the bird show was very nice, ending with a flurry of beautiful macaws free-flying into and out of the exhibit. We got to everything we wanted and at the right times. Fabulous day at the zoo!
When was the last time you had to keep to a schedule?
Trail Baboon 
1994.
The details are too boring so I won’t bore you with them. 😉
Chris in Owatonna
LikeLiked by 3 people
Rise and Run Around, Baboons,
Tapir zoomies are pretty uninspiring. I ran the video and kept waiting for it. The video ended and I was still waiting.
Caring for someone with dementia requires a certain level of routine, which is now with retirement, about the only demand other than MG volunteer shifts. The mightiest challenge has been getting husband to go to bed at night. Thankfully, the TV show “The Repair Shop” has become an incentive. At 10pm I turn this on, and Lou wanders in to watch. He used to love to repair stuff! Our Baboon Bill originally told me about this show. It is interesting and soothing and puts Lou to sleep.
Now that I am pretty healed from my hip replacement, I am trying to re-establish exercise and cooking routines. It is getting there.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I agree the video is not anwe- inspiring. YA took this and when I asked her to send it to me, I actually thought she had taken a longer video. The tapir actually ran back back-and-forth about 10 times. I should’ve asked the zoo staff standing next to me to send me hers — she filmed it much longer apparently.
LikeLiked by 2 people
my routines revilve around the delivery quirks you discover by messing with them early morning coffee runs before costco 10-3 then uber and grub hub til done. i love working and listening to sports. twins lynx timberwolves. i must see vikings live and focused
amazon and grub hub used to require plugging into a schedule . no more and i like it. i work around physical therapy aris piano lesson monday moms chiro and a movie tuesday guitar circle and grandkids day wednesday cards first thursday friday and saturday are open unless guthrie or minnesota orchestra pops up but american roots @3 and john pizzarelli at 5 are favorites on 88.5 sunday is cbs sunday morning all year football sept to feb. other than that no schedule at all.
i try fo schedule sleep after work
LikeLiked by 3 people
Our current schedules revolve around work, realtors, the garden, and the animals. This weekend we did a month’s worth of weeding and gardening. I am at home today, finishing up some cleaning indoors in case we have a showing, and finishing up some weeding. Pretty soon things will slow down somewhat, I hop.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I hope this stage doesn’t last too long, Renee. It’s challenging to keep the house presentable while trying to pack things up and get everything else done. The next stage is only slightly less stressful, but you’ll get through it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks! Things seem to be moving along as they need to. I think we are through the worst. Getting the books all packed up so the basement could get painted really was exhausting.
LikeLiked by 3 people
my guess would be at your house not cleaned up is probably cleaner than most people’s houses cleaned up. I think you can relax a little bit and somebody who’s looking to buy your house can certainly envision what the yard will look like without a garden in it because nobody wants a garden like you have as a main priority at the rest of the things like the painting of the basement at the dusting of the shelves is something that you figure out the trick I’ve heard that’s supposed to be the biggest help is bread you can go to the store and buy some roads bread if Kris doesn’t have time to whip up some of his homemade bread, but the smell of homemade bread is much more attention drawing than the dusting of the shelves
so just buy a six pack of Rhodes bread and when you hear somebody’s coming to look, you can throw one in the oven and have it finished before they get there funny that nobody makes a air freshener called homemade bread…
LikeLiked by 4 people
They did that when they were showing the Robbinsdale house to us in 1989 – it was December and there was fresh cinnamon bread or something… (What sold me, though, was the tree in that back yard.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
We have a sort of weekly schedule here – there’s something to work around most days: Monday protest rally, Tuesday depends on the week, Wednesday M. has morning Habitat and I go to t’ai chi, Thursday we save for appointments, Friday is food deliveries (like Meals on Wheels).
There are monthly Board meetings, etc. that get plugged into Tuesday and Wed.
I’ve been considering naming Saturday cleaning day, where I would accomplish one task from my ongoing list…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yep, Thursday night this week is a Theatre board meeting and the third Wednesday of every month is a town board meeting. Beginning this month I’m president of the Theatre board. I’ve been chairman of the town board since April. So for a few months I get to be in charge of both.
It’s interesting, the theater board has many more opinions and much more “discussion”, and discussion of ideas (waving my hands in the air).
The town board is much more regimented in logistics and facts. Not the place for quite so many opinions….
LikeLiked by 2 people
Same is true here, Ben – I’m on two boards, and one is very talky, all over the map, meetings 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Other one is pretty cut and dried, stay on topic – people want to keep it short and get out of there.
LikeLiked by 2 people
On schedule to supervise the flooring installation at Milford, Ohio. Arrive at 7:00 AM. 8:00 AM huddle to see who is doing what. Subs arrive at 9:00 AM. Stay until noon.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Every morning I am supposed to get daughter into her program. It doesn’t matter how soon I start waking her up because she is very schedule oriented, it’s just her schedule not anybody else’s
And we never get there as soon as staff would like us to get there. But they also realize that’s who she is and that’s what she does.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Not since September 2021 (or ‘22 – I can’t remember for sure anymore).
I create my own schedule these days, and I’m quite satisfied with that. Of course there are some things that happen weekly, and I do follow my calendar schedule. Tonight, for example, there will be Fiber Friends at the Cannon Valley Makers’ Space. Wednesday afternoons I play music at FiftyNorth, and Friday mornings I go to knitting group. Otherwise, my schedule is created and controlled by me, and if I don’t feel like doing something, I don’t do it.
LikeLiked by 5 people
My work schedules are somewhat haphazard. I don”t have any tax work to speak of at the moment, though they will be shipping me a laptop in about three weeks. Then I have some self-paced training and a few weeks of being on shift about 20-30 hours a week, and then there’s a break till January.
I have one volunteer shift a week in the summer (Wednesdays), plus a smattering of medical appointments and line dancing on Mondays.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Love this post! We recently visited this zoo — such an inspiring place for kids and grownups.
The trip actually sparked something special with our daughters… we turned their experience into a real children’s book called Emma & Layla Save the Zoo. 🐧🦁
It’s all about kindness, courage, and two sisters who help animals in need.
If you’re into heartfelt stories inspired by real family moments — it’s up now on Amazon:
Thanks for sharing your zoo thoughts — love connecting with fellow animal fans 🧡
LikeLiked by 1 person